Stung
by claire svu fan
Summary: while on an alien planet Carter is stung by some creature but noone sees it and there is no mark. after a while back on Earth, Carter discovers that she is very sick and strangly has heightened senses.plz rr might be a sj
1. Chapter 1

Sam sat in the corner of her quarters staring blankly at the opposite corner. Her hands were shaking and she glanced at the thin shivering hands. She hadn't eaten in over a week but somehow she didn't feel hungry. She knew she had to eat but her stomach rejected everything she swallowed. Her skin was pale and she looked like she hadn't left the dark in months. She had though. She had been off world to the place where this must have started. She could remember crossing a small river through the water with the rest of sg1. She had felt something sting her lower back, it was very soft and hardly noticeable but she noticed. She had felt a wave of nausea the instant she was stung and felt uneasy about it. She told Janet about it but Janet checked her out and she was fine, nothing was different and there was no mark on her back and no symptoms aside from the loss of appetite. The symptoms she felt now had only arisen early this morning. She was typing away at her laptop when she had felt a sudden throbbing in her head like an intense migraine. She had tried to ignore it but the throbbing wouldn't leave and so she got up to go to the infirmary when her legs went numb and her feet rolled over themselves as she tried to walk. She had collapsed. She lay on the floor and stared up at the roof. The light had brightened all of a sudden and she had found herself squinting to keep from going blind. She had dragged her limp legs over to the light switch and had reached up to switch it off. Then she had crawled into the corner and sat staring blankly at the opposite corner. She had been sitting in the corner ever since. In the darkness her vision was perfect. She felt as though her eyes now had a night vision mode, only she didn't see in green or red. Everything she saw had a heightened colour tone. Her blue air force issue uniform pants were now a much more vibrant colour like the rich blue of primary blue paint. The silver in her watched gleamed out brightly as though it were glow-in-the-dark. She heard a harsh bang on the door. It was really a light knock but her senses were unnervingly heightened. She panicked she wasn't sure what to do. After a while she just called for the knocker to enter but to her surprise nothing came out. Her voice was gone, she tried screaming but no noise was heard. All that could be heard was the faint gargling of her struggling throat. A moment later the door eased open and she shielded her eyes from the blinding light.

"Carter?" Jack asked flicking the light on "we kinda missed you in the briefing" he said as he saw her in the corner "are you alright?" he asked as he noticed her cringing at the light and holding her throbbing head in her hands. He could see the pale white of her skin and how she was shivering. He walked over to her side and knelt down to her level. He turned her face to see her. Her lips were blue and the once innocent blue of her eyes was now a deep blood red.

'_Shit_' she heard him but she watched his lips and they hadn't moved. He had cursed and she had heard it but Jack hadn't spoken. Jack had thought it and she had heard it.


	2. Chapter 2

After discovering that Sam couldn't walk Jack carried her out to the infirmary where Janet kicked in and took over.

"She's got a fever" she muttered as she thought of what to do. Sam tried to follow the thoughts she was hearing but with Jacks and Janet's overlapping each others it was hard to focus.

"Sam, are you in any pain?" Janet asked as she passed a light over the red eyes but the pupils were too small to detect a change. Sam panicked, she couldn't talk. Sam just nodded and Janet looked at her curiously

"Where is the pain?" she asked cautiously and Sam tapped her temple. Sam could faintly understand Janet think of a head ache over the bustle and Sam sprang into alert mode.

"What is it?" Janet asked puzzled and Sam pulled the pen and notepad out of Janet's pocket. She could barely look at the paper long enough to scribble a note on the page.

_I can't talk, I don't know why or how but I've lost the ability to talk._ Sam passed Janet the page as she covered her eyes to block out the blinding light. When Janet passed back the pad Carter held a sheet over it to block out the glare as she wrote.

_I have a throbbing migraine and I can't focus in light. Could you dim the lights? Or turn them off? I see better in the dark_ Jack turned the lights directly over Sam off and she smiled at him.

**What other symptoms do you have?** Janet scribbled on the page and Sam rolled her eyes

_I'm not deaf. I can hear you perfectly well though it's a little hard to block out the other voices_ Sam wrote and they both went wide eyed and Sam heard Jack think something about nutcases.

"What other voices?" Janet asked as she glanced around the almost empty room

_Your thoughts. I can hear them. _She wrote and Jack started to panic both visually and mentally. She couldn't hear Janet's thoughts over Jacks racing panic and she couldn't help but be curious as to why he was stressing and then she concentrated on listing to the baffle. Jack spotted her interest and all of a sudden the thoughts stopped only to start again with 'what's 63 divided by 9?' Jack tested her. Carter grinned and held up 7 fingers. Jack stared amazed then started doing the math in his head. She could hear the rhythmic tune you would hear out of a 6 year old who was reciting his times tables.

'5 times 9 is 45 and 2 times 9 is 18 so 45 add 18 is, well 40 add 10 is 50 and 8 add 5 is 12 so that's 62. Ha you're wrong' he almost laughed but Sam picked up the pad and wrote: _8 add 5 is 13. _Jack went bright red while Janet stifled a laugh.

"Well I'm going to give you some Ibuprofen which should help the fever and the head ache" Janet smiled as she handed her the pills 'this sounds like Hysteria but how is she hearing our thoughts?' Janet thought to herself and Sam stared at her wide eyed _Hysteria?_ She wrote in a panic

"Well a lot of your symptoms are similar; it could be an advanced form. Have you had any hallucinations or memory loss?" Janet asked and Sam shook her head. Sam began writing her symptoms down and Jack took the distraction as a good opportunity to slip out unnoticed. 'She can here my thoughts, this can't be good' he thought as he walked towards Daniel's quarters.


	3. Chapter 3

Sam Sat upright in the bed staring at her toes as she twitched the muscles that had woken up in her legs. The movement was sending pins and needles shooting along her leg but she persisted on trying to wake her sleeping legs. She felt groggy from the medication Janet had her on which helped the headaches and the shivering but didn't effect the sight or sound. She was sitting in the dark as the light still burned her eyes.

The most frustrating part was that she was hooked up to a tube which was feeding her starving body. Her stomach still wouldn't accept any form of food and she had noticed that she had to tighten her belt one extra slot before it would hold comfortably.

She had had a tiring day of CAT-scans, MRI's and various visitors curious to test out her supposed 'telemetry'. She swore that if she had one more person come see her she would crack. And luck be it that that moment was the exact moment she heard the distant sound of Jack playing the infuriating words to 'video killed the radio star' in his head. 'Damn it, it's him' she cursed in her head as she lay down and played her best impression of someone in a deep sleep.

Jack came in whistling the tune and stopped by her bed

'is she asleep?' he thought 'nah'

"Get up Carter I know your awake" he said as he plunked himself down in the chair that had been placed beside the bed. She ignored him and continued pretending to sleep hoping he would buy it.

"Quit faking slumber Carter, that's not how you sleep" he nudged her and she sullenly sat upright. She then pulled her laptop over and typed in a word document: _what do you mean that's not how I sleep?_ Jack grinned

"You're never that relaxed when you sleep, you sleep light and are always alert even in sleep. Your on your toes 24-7 Carter." He explained and she typed: _you watch me sleep?_

"I don't do it on purpose" he defended and she faked a hurt expression making him laugh

'I always watch her sleep; she always looked so innocent and fragile when she sleeps. She's beautiful.' He thought and Carter stared with a wide grin.

Jack saw her look and he slapped his hand against his head 'this is going to be hard, now I have to concentrate on not picturing her… Robert deniro in a bikini, Homer drooling on his donut, Snoopy playing basket ball, anything to stop picturing a scenario" he panicked and Sam burst out laughing but suddenly stopped herself with a startled look on her face.

"I can laugh?" she said wide eyed "oh my god" she smiled "thank you so much" she cried and threw her arms around Jack

"What? What did I do?" Jack asked puzzled and she pulled back grinning

"My voice!" she explained "I have my voice back, I can talk!" she bounced in her words

"Okay then" Jack smiled

"Sorry sir, you have no idea how frustrating it is to have to type everything you want to say" she exhaled

"Try having to watch what you THINK" Jack joked "wait can you still hear my thoughts?" he asked hopeful "I'm thinking of a colour"

"Red" she blurted out before he could think

"Hey I haven't chosen what colour yet" he wined

"I know sir, but it's obvious you were going to pick red because you were staring into my eyes when you said that"

"But your eyes are blue now?" he said puzzled and she sighed with relief and realized her sight had returned to normal.

'Her eyes are so much more appealing when they're blue" Jack thought and Sam sighed in defeat

"What?" Jack asked curious

"I heard that" she muttered and Jack puffed 'for crying out loud, this is ridiculous' he thought and Sam winced at hearing his thoughts.

"I guess I can't get everything at once" she sighed

'I guess laughter really is the best medicine. That's it!' he thought

"What's it?" she asked hopeful

"We just have to make you laugh" he explained "knock knock"

"Who's there?"

"Two blonds"

"Two blonds who?"

"Two blonds walk into a building, would have been nice if one of them saw it"

"That's not how you tell a knock knock joke sir" she said shaking her head at him

'why don't you try one' he thought and she frowned

"I don't know any" she admitted and Jacks eyes went wide

"None?" he asked as he thought that it was typical. She rolled her eyes and went to mock hit him but she felt a sudden wave of drowsiness and found herself falling out of the bed. Jack shook his head at her and picked her up.

"Are you ok?" he asked concerned and she nodded as she started drifting off to sleep. He pulled the blanket up to her chin and then gently picked up an eyelash off of her cheek. She shifted slightly at the touch of his hand and Jack smiled

"Make a wish light sleeper" he whispered but blew the lash off his fingertip himself after making his own wish.

"Stop watching me" she whispered back and rolled over, smiling.


	4. Chapter 4

Sam awoke to find Jack asleep in the chair beside her. She shook her head at him as she imagined him watching her sleep until he fell asleep. She sat upright and was surprised to find that he could feel her legs. She bent her right knee and grinned then bent her left knee. In daring curiosity she turned and slid out of the bed. She planted her feet firmly on the floor and smiled. Effortlessly she started walking; she walked across the room pulling the poll holding up her 'breakfast' along with her. She turned back to make sure Jack was asleep and then she grinned as she pulled out the feeding tube and walked out of the room. She smiled at the thought of eating an actual meal and for the first time since she was stung she actually felt hungry.

Jack awoke to find himself sitting in the chair beside Carters bed. He stared at the bed and was stunned by the fact that she wasn't there. He jumped up and ran over to Janet who was studying x-rays of Carters head.

"Where's Carter disappeared to?" Jack asked trying to sound calm and unfazed

"Isn't she asleep?" she asked turning to look at the empty bed "where did she go?" Janet asked puzzled and Jack glared at Janet "well she couldn't have gotten far, she's not walking" Janet laughed but Jack didn't see the humor and walked out "everyone is acting very strange" she muttered as she turned back to the x-rays. Jack headed straight for Carters lab and when he didn't find her there he checked her quarters. After not finding her there he sighed and tried to think of somewhere she would be. After a moment he remembered seeing the feeding tube dandling down beside the bed. He grinned and turned in the direction of the canteen. He found her sitting across from Daniel eating a large meal of bacon and eggs, fruit loops, toast and a blue jelly. As he came closer he saw Sam was staring at Daniel wide eyed

"Daniel, are you **thinking** in Arabic?" she asked with a grin

"Ah, what did you say? Oh, um yeah, been busy with a translation. Um, I'm not all that hungry, I think I might just go get back to work" he yawned as he stood up

"Daniel I can hear what you're thinking" she warned and he frowned "put the translation aside for a while and eat something" she ordered as she pushed his plate back over to him.

"I see you're eating again" Jack grinned as he pulled up a chair "and walking"

"Yeah but I can still hear peoples thoughts, it's not as bad though because I have been focusing on concentrating on particular thoughts and blocking out others" Sam explained

"You're controlling it?" Daniel asked suddenly very interested

"For the most part I have been" she nodded.

"So was it hysteria?" Jack asked as he pinched a piece of her bacon. She glared at him and turned the plate round so the bacon wasn't facing him.

"No sir, Janet thought it could be an infection or bacteria in the blood from whatever stung me. She gave me some antibiotics which seemed to do the trick." She explained

"So you're feeling better then?" Jack asked smiling

"Much better but sir, I don't really want to go fishing all weekend" she said cautiously

"How'd you know… oh right" Jack laughed and then turned to Teal'c who had mistakenly chosen this moment to sit down "you up for a little fishing this weekend?" he asked patting his back and Teal'c shuddered at the thought

"I am not O'Neill" Teal'c said as he shifted his chair away slightly. Jack sighed and turned to Daniel who shook his head violently

"No way, I have far too much to do to go on a fishing trip with you Jack" he explained and Carter shot him a glare "hey I'm not doing this because I enjoy it. I have to translate artifacts from sg12's mission as well as ours, which has three different dialects I might add. And I've got pressure on me over both of them." He said throwing up his hands in defense. _'At least I have a reason for being a workaholic, which is more then I can say about some people' _Daniel thought and Carter slapped him over the back of the head.

"Hey what was that for?" he asked stunned and she tapped her ear. He frowned and muttered "of course you heard me, I can't ever get a break" he sighed

"Well someone's got to come with me" Jack pleaded "Teal'c please" Teal'c Just shook his head and continued eating his breakfast. Jack turned back to Sam and grinned "Carter I know you want to come fishing" he grinned and she sighed "if you come fishing with me I swear I wont complain about your babble for a week" he tried to tempt her and she light up

"Really sir, the whole seven days?" she asked stunned

"Seven days" he nodded "if you swear you'll come fishing?" he said putting out his hand to shake on it. She shook his hand grinning "deal" she said and then turned back to her food "there's no fish in your lake right?" she asked looking up and he grinned

"Were not going to my lake" he said smiling. She placed down her fork and tried to hear his thoughts but he was repeating the word butterfly over and over again to keep himself from thinking of it.

"Where are we going?" she asked cautiously

"Farmington Bay" he grinned

"Where's that?" Daniel asked confused

"Salt lake" he grinned

"As in Salt lake city? Utah!" Carter snapped "oh no, I'm not going to Utah"

"You shook on it" he laughed

"You tricked me" she wined and Daniel started laughing while Teal'c typically raised his eyebrow

"How are we getting there?" she sighed

"Driving" he shrugged "it's only a 7 hour drive, 8 tops" he grinned "we have Friday off so I'll pick you up at 0 nine hundred hours" he stated in a very orderly tone

"I didn't say I would go colonel" Carter pointed out

"Oh you're so going" he grinned as he stood up

"You don't have to act so smug about it" she called after him and then turned back to her meal so he would see her blushing cheeks.


	5. Chapter 5

Jack sat in the driver's side thinking as he drove. He was thinking about the woman who was sitting next to him, staring out the window. He could tell she wasn't listening in on what he was thinking because she showed no reaction. There was an awkward silence between them but yet neither felt uncomfortable.

"This isn't fair, you know what's going on in my head but I don't know what your thinking about" he broke the quiet

"Oh um, I was just thinking about something Orlin said" she explained "_Orlin?" _Jack thought "Orlin is that alien who stalked you and lived in your house right?" he asked and Carter smiled "yeah" she nodded and continued staring out the window

"Well what did Orlin say?" Jack was determined to start a conversation

"He said that reading someone's mind is an invasion of privacy. But I can't help it, all I can do is ignore it and switch my focus" she explained

"But you don't read minds right? You just hear what they are thinking? Just like urgo" he cringed and then frowned at how unusual that would sound to fresh ears.

"It doesn't matter, I still hear things that I'm not supposed to" she sighed "how far is it to Salt Lake City?" she asked changing the subject

"We've got about 350 miles to go" he admitted "traffic's not helping but we should get there by sun down" he explained and she nodded as she turned back to the window

"You know there's a McDonalds near by here" Carter smiled

"Oh are you hungry?" he asked glancing at her and she grinned

"No but you are"

"**Welcome to McDonalds, may I take your order?" **the voice crackled through the speaker. Jack ordered first and then turned to Sam

"What did you want?" he asked with a casual smile

"I'm not very hungry sir, I think I'll pass" she said leaning back. Jack grinned and turned to the speaker box

"And a cheese burger happy meal please?" he asked the box

"**Yep, and what drink did you want with that?"** the box asked

"Diet soda" he grinned and Carter glared at him

"I said I wasn't hungry, sir" she warned

"Yes Carter and I chose to ignore you" he laughed

"**Is that all?"** the box crackled

"Yeahsureyoubetcha!" he sung

"**That comes to 13 dollars and 50 cents, drive through when you're ready"**

Jack pulled up to the next window and accepted the food, handing the girl a ten and a five.

"Keep the change" he smiled and then pulled out of the drive thru. Jack handed Sam the happy meal and grinned. She placed the box on top of the dashboard, saying again that she wasn't hungry.

"Oh come on Carter, what have you eaten this week?" he accused and before she could complained he added "other than breakfast yesterday" when she didn't reply he picked up the box and handed it to her "eat something Carter, that's an order"

"With all due respect sir, you shouldn't abuse your authority like that"

"Carter!"

"Ok" she surrendered opening the happy meal box and un-rapping the small burger. She took a bite and smiled after swallowing

"There I ate something" she grinned and stifled a laugh as she heard the bickering inside his head, which stopped after she took her second bite. He smiled at her. He had gotten a sertain satisfaction out of succeeding in getting her to eat, despite the glare.

He juggled eating and driving in the awkward silence. Carter soon finished the small meal and neatly collected all the rubbish and packed it inside a bag.

"What toy did you get?" Jack asked casually

"A figurine with strange blue hair. Do you want it sir?" she asked holing up the 'Marge' edition of the Simpson's collectable figurines. Sam almost laughed when she heard his thoughts about it being the only one he didn't have in the collection.

"Yeah, might as well" he said in a deep voice "that is if you don't want it?" he asked and she laughed shaking her head at him and tucking the figurine into his jacket pocket. He followed her hand as she did this but still was attentive to the road. Her hands were well taken care of yet not 'perfect', they had all the lovable blemishes that proved that she wasn't perfect and was real. Her nails were bitten and chewed; she had a habit of biting her nails when she was nervous or in deep thought. Her hands had their flaws from dealing with weapons and chemicals at work and tinkering with motorcycles in her spare time. Her fingers were steady yet fragile from hours of typing on her laptop.

"Stop studying my hands, please" she smiled bashfully crossing her arms to hide her hands and Jack flinched remembering she could hear his thoughts "could you turn in at this gas station sir?" she asked directing his vision to an up coming road side gas station

"Um, we have an almost full tank Carter?" he said as he gave her a confused look. She returned his look with a pleading one and he took the sharp right into the gas station. As soon as the car stopped, she bailed out and ran for the bathroom inside. She may have been feeling better but her stomach did not.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's note: thanks to all the fans of this fic and a big high five to all the devoted fans of stargate sg1. Sorry it has taken me so long to update these chapters. I have been out of commission for a while and have been forced to write this fic by hand, only getting encouragement from the few school based fans of this fic who actually believe it or not have even less patience then the people of fanfiction. I'm happy to say that I have finished writing this fic and went through a whole pad of paper doing so (without throwing out screw up pages). I should have it all on computer soon. Patience is a virtue.

Oh and I don't own the characters or the characters of the book mentioned. I make no profit off this fic and am not promoting the book mentioned (or the show). Yes the book is real; I borrowed it at my local library. Enjoy the read.

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Jack took the time that Carter was in the bathroom to grab some snacks from the service station. As he scanned the shelves, he came across a section with books and he thought about getting one just as a pass time for the trip. If this was going to be the extent of conversation for the whole weekend then he may need one. He was intrigued by a book called 'blankets'. The cover had a drawing of two teenagers standing in the snow. He picked up the book, it was relatively thick. '_Blankets, an illustrated novel by Craig Thompson_' he read the cover. He opened the book and grinned at the fact that it was a novel sized comic book.

"You're going to read sir?" Carter asked as she approached him

"I read" he mocked a hurt expression as he snapped the book closed "it's not like I can't read Carter"

"Of coarse you can sir; I didn't mean to imply that you couldn't…"

"Relax Carter, I didn't take it personally" he laughed and headed towards the check out. Carter let out her breath relieved and followed him. Carter convinced Jack to let her drive for a while and as they walked towards the car he tossed her the keys. She went to climb in the driver's side but was surprised to find someone sitting below the steering wheel. It was a kid not much older than Cassie. He was trying to pry open the under side of the steering wheel with his pocket knife, obviously intending on hot wiring the car.

"Are you lost?" she grinned as she stood there with the door open. The boy shot upright and pointed the knife at her

"No! I'm taking this beast. Hand me the keys" he put on a poor attempt for a tuff and intimidating voice that Carter almost laughed at.

"Not on my watch you're not" Jack smirked as he aimed his hand gun at the boy from the passenger's side.

"Whoa man, no trouble ok. I wasn't really gonna take it. It was a joke man, a joke" the boy pleaded as he put his hands up.

"Real funny joke" Carter groaned as she took the pocket knife out of his raised hand and pulled him away from the car.

"You aren't gonna call the cops are you? My dad'll kill me" the boy was close to tears "please don't call 'em? My dad'll put lead in my head if I go back to juvee" he begged and Jack grimaced at the annoyance of the boys whine.

"Don't worry, were not going to call the police" Carter reassured him

"You're not?" the boy asked stunned "why not?"

"Yeah Carter, why aren't we again?" Jack asked motioning for her to speak up

"Colonel" she warned rolling her eyes at him

"Colonel? Argh you guys are military aren't you? Don't tell me you work at boot camp" the boy panicked

"Kid! What's you're name?" Jack asked putting his gun away

"Virus" he gulped

"You're real name!" Jack snapped at the boy

"Andy Ross" the boy admitted trembling

"look Andy, I wont turn you over to the 'authority's' as long as you cut the crap and stop stealing car's" Jack offered and the boy nodded enthusiastically "go to school, get a proper education, get a job and stay away from this" Jack ordered "if you want to stay out of Juvee, you have to stop messing up"

The boy was a bit calmer but showed obvious fear

"Go home Andy! And stay out of trouble" he ordered. The boy ran off down the street and through an ally-way "stupid kid" Jack muttered as he climbed in the passenger side.

"Weren't you a bit easy on him?" Carter questioned as she buckled in and Jack shook his head.

"Nah, judging by the shiner that kid had I'd say he gets enough hell" he explained as Carter started the car

"Fair enough" she shrugged as she pulled out of the gas station and back up onto the highway. '_Only 6 more hours to go' _Jack thought and Carter pondered him for a moment

'_Only 6 more hours to endure'_ she thought to herself.


	7. Chapter 7

"Blankets. Chapter 1, cubby hole. When we were young, my little brother Phil and I shared the same bed" Jack read to himself pausing only to turn the page "shared is the sugar-coated way of saying we were trapped in the same bed, as we were children and had no say in the matter" he read unaware that Carter could hear every word he read

"'hey Craig' 'I'm trying to sleep' 'there're sharks nibbling on the edge of the boat' 'it's not a boat stupid. It's a BED! Go to sleep'"

"What are you reading, sir?" Carter queried and Jack closed the book with his index finger holding the page

"It's an illustrated novel" Jack said proudly and Carter studied him confused

"It's a picture book?" she asked grinning and Jacks face dropped

"No" he jumped back childishly "it's a comic book" he explained as he opened it to show her. She smiled

"Is that really any better than a picture book" she teased

"Carter, it's my choice in reading material. Now are you going to let me read or just bug me?"

"No you can read, go ahead" she grinned and let him get back to reading. She enjoyed listening to him read.

Two hours of reading had passed before Jack put the book aside. He had been aware that Carter was listening and every now and then he paused to show her the picture's used to describe a scene. He had liked the book but frowned at the serious lack of blood, guts, violence and mayhem. He had put the book aside after finally understanding what it was about.

"Crap" he cursed closing the book and Carter turned to him confused

"What?" she asked and Jack opened it back to the page he was on. He showed her the drawing of Craig - the main character- now around 18, first meeting a girl named Raina. The two teens were standing about a metre apart gazing into each others eyes. It was obvious the drawing was meant to depict 'love at first sight'.

"It's a romance Carter" Jack grimaced

"Sir, you're not seriously going to give up on the book Just because the guy met a girl?" Carter criticized him

"I seriously am" he grinned

"Just read it sir, you might like it" she sighed

"Alright Carter but if he turns into a love-struck-sap, I put the book away" he agreed as he opened the book and she smiled satisfied as he continued reading. He only read until the end of that scene before he bookmarked the page and closed the book.

"What's wrong?" she asked slightly irritated and he pointed for her to turn off the highway. She followed his instructions until they stopped just outside of a supermarket "ok sir, why are we here?" she asked slightly nervous and he grinned as he unbuckled his seat belt and leaned in close to her. He softly traced his hand along her seat belt and with a click it opened. Carter gulped anxiously as he slid the belt up behind her and ran his fingertips through her hair.

"Carter" he whispered in her ear

"Yes?" she asked cautiously

"It's my turn at the wheel" he almost laughed. She rolled her eyes and pushed him back in his seat as she relaxed.

"What about the book sir?" she asked opening the door and letting the cold air rush in

"You read it" he shrugged and before she could reply he cut in with

"Out loud Carter"

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Author's note: sorry this chap was so short. i had organised it properly on paper and somehow this turned out to only be one page for this chap thus leaving it at around 550 words.

feel free to review. i love those reviews. who doesnt?


	8. Chapter 8

"_They say Eskimos have several different words for snow"_ Carter read Raina's line while Jack listened intently "_and they kiss with their noses"_ she read Craig's line. The two teens were lying in the snow staring up at the stars as they talked "_how?_" she read Raina's part _"with their noses"_ Craig's line "_like this?"_ he had continued. Craig and Raina's noses touched "_and this is how butterflies kiss… with their eyelashes"_ Raina demonstrated "_when I was a kid I used to pluck out my eye lashes_" Craig's part "_oh god why?_" Raina asked "_cuz I thought they made me look like a girl_" he replied "_ouch… you wasted wishes. When you pluck an eyelash, you need to make a wish_" Raina explained. Carter paused and looked at Jack curiously

"What?" Jack asked confused

"What did you wish for?" she asked "when you wished off my eyelash, sir?" she explained and Jack sighed

"It doesn't matter. I got my wish either way" he replied and Carter stared at him

"You wished I would come fishing didn't you?" she accused

"No" he said in a slightly irritated tone

"It's alright sir, I don't mind" she said smiling

"I didn't wish for you to come fishing" he corrected and Sam stared at him expectantly

"Sir?" she asked gesturing for him to speak up and he sighed

"I wished for you to get better" he muttered incoherently

"Excuse me sir?" Carter asked not hearing him

"I wished for you to get better alright!" he snapped and Carters eyes went wide but she didn't speak. She smiled to herself and opened the book again and continued reading.

"_A wish_?" Craig asked plucking out his eyelash "_yeah_" Raina replied plucking out her own. The two teens exchanged eyelashes. Their hands touched and then they kissed.

Carter almost laughed as she showed Jack the drawings of the two teens making out in the snow. Jack glared at her

"Put the book away Carter" he warned and she chuckled as she skipped the sappy scene for him. "_Chapter 5, I don't wanna grow up_" she read.

* * *

"Im not reading this scene sir. How long has it been?" she asked checking her watch "3 hours, ha your turn to read sir" she said pointing to a roadside stop. Jack turned in and they switched seats. Jack opened the book to the page she bookmarked and suddenly shut it.

"I'm not reading that while you're listening to my thoughts Carter" he stated

"Why not?" she teased

"It's a sex scene Carter! If I read that while you listen, you will…" he paused "assume things" he said glaring at her.

"It's not a sex scene sir" she laughed

"Really? What do you make of that?" he asked showing her an image

"Ok it's provocative but not a sex scene. Look sir, just skip the scene" she suggested

"What if we miss an important part of the plot?"

"We can always revert back to it" she shrugged "were entering salt lake city? I thought you said it took 7 hours?" she asked confused

"It's been 6 hours Carter, I wasn't that far off" he defended himself

"Ok, well where do I go from here?" she asked

"Farmington bay is on the far side of the city" he instructed

"Were going fishing now!" her jaw dropped

"Sunset's when the fish bite best" he grinned

"Sir?" she had a pleading look

"The boat I rented is on Farmington bay" he explained

"Boat?" she asked worried

"It's a house boat" he told her and she went to object but he cut her off

"Where do you want to go for dinner?" he asked grinning

"I'm not hungry" she replied taking a right turn

"For crying out loud, carter you have to eat!" he raised his voice and she sighed

"I can't eat, my body rejects everything I eat" she explained and Jack clenched his teeth

"The anti-biotic's aren't working" he scowled

"No they're working. It's probably just that my body can't handle the sudden extra nutrition, which doesn't surprise me considering how long I went with-out food" she reassured him

"Well order something with low calories Carter. Most women do" he joked but she heard he was serious and she heard he was worried.


	9. Chapter 9

Author's note: I've never been to Salt Lake City or Farmington bay so forgive me if I get any of the descriptions wrong. I picked a random place they could drive off to and I'm guessing wildly like I always do so please don't hold it against me.

Oh thanks to all the people who reviewed, it's great to know some of those hits have something to say. Please review as they are always welcomed.

Enjoy reading. Oh and bugs are a real food, I've tried them and they taste great.

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Getting to Farmington bay was hell with the rush hour traffic but they soon reached their destination. Jack un-packed the things while Carter admired the boat. When he said house boat, she had pictured a hut on raft but the real thing looked much better. It wasn't a huge boat but it certainly didn't look small. The house boat seemed somewhat similar to a small yacht but the inside looked like a normal house. There were two bedrooms, each on opposite ends of the boat. In-between there was a lounge room, kitchen/dinning room and a bathroom. The outside of the boat actually had a veranda and a ladder led up to an above ground spa, built above the house itself.

"You've out-done yourself" she commented as she grabbed a bag from him "why here?" she asked

"Accommodation Carter" he mocked "I don't exactly want to sleep in the snow"

"No, why Salt Lake City rather than the cabin in Minnesota like usual?"

"Because Minnesota _is _usual, a little variety never hurts" he shrugged

"I've never been to the cabin in Minnesota"

"And?" he asked mockingly

"Fair enough" she exhaled as she took her bag into one of the bedrooms

"So Carter" he said wondering into her bedroom with his hands shoved in his pockets "dinner?" he asked innocently and she smiled. She paused to think then turned to him with a grin

"Let's eat in" she suggested sounding like a teen, sneaking around behind her parents back

"Pizza or Chinese?" he asked joining in on her enthusiasm and picking up the phone

"Seafood" she grinned as she took the phone out of his hand

"I thought you didn't want to go fishing?"

"I'm sure there's a fish market near by" she shrugged

"Everything's raw at fish markets Carter"

"As opposed to the freshly cooked fish in the ocean" she mocked and he glared at her "don't worry sir, I'll cook"

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Jack sat on the house boat veranda and stared up at the stars above him. They weren't as clear here as they usually were. The smog and lights from Salt Lake City blocked most of the sky and he only saw a few stars which were probably planets. The moon was full and shone brightly through the clouds that were trying to hide it. The alluring smell of the lobster dish Carter was making sat under his nose and made his stomach dance. He couldn't bare this torment any longer; he had to see how the meal was coming along.

"How's it coming?" Jack asked as he walked up behind Carter and took a peak at the various pots and pans that were arranged on the stove. Carter slapped down a lid on one of the pots, stopping Jack from stealing a taste. She scowled and gave her a sad puppy dog look.

"It's not ready yet sir" she smiled and took a sip from a wine glass. Jack sighed then took the glass from her and had a mouthful of it

"What's this?" he grimaced at the drink

"Oh, this is just sherry. We didn't get anything to drink while we were out" she explained

"Is it wise to be drinking while you're on antibiotics Carter?"

"The antibiotics I'm on don't react with alcohol" she assured him and he nodded wondering over to the pantry. He opened it and pulled out a few bottles from the bottom shelf.

"These have been left behind" he grinned as he placed the three bottles down on the bench. He read the labels and scowled at the first, Sherry. The other two were both Irish whiskey. Jack poured two glasses of the whisky and took a mouth full.

"Wow, that's got bite to it" Jack said after swallowing and letting the liquor's warm sensation slide down his throat. Carter smiled.

"Well compared to the 4.5 Alcohol in beer, this _would _be strong" she grinned and showed him the label.

"40! Nice" he nodded smiling and put the sherry away "so how far off is this lovely smelling meal going to be?" he asked smoothly

"Not too long, but you can read some more of that book if you want sir" she grinned as she stirred the sauce.

Jack ran out to the car and picked up the comic book off the passenger side seat. As he closed the door he heard a faint click behind him and he turned towards the shadows where the sound had come from. All he could see amongst the darkness was a faint red light from the burning ambers of a cigarette.

"Can I help you?" Jack smirked at the red dot. He heard a wheezy exhale of breath and then a cough before the red dot sailed forwards and the cigarette landed just inside the light. The tapping of high heels followed, coming closer to him. A surge of panic came over him as he remembered he wasn't armed and had no way of knowing if this mysterious person was or not. The tapping stopped suddenly and an elegant heeled shoe stepped into the light and put out the ambers of the cigarette. Then the heel retreated back into the darkness and the tapping headed away from him, rushing away. Jack foolishly followed the rushing feet until out of the darkness, a light came. The light from the inside of a convertible as the mysterious woman climbed inside. He saw the light hit her long red hair before the door closed, killing the light. The convertibles engine started and the bright light of the high beams blinded him just before the convertible turned and sped off. He never saw her face but a light over the license plate at the back of the convertible revealed all he needed to know if he was ever going to find out who was watching him. He memorized the plate number and hurried back to the house boat. When he returned, Carter was pouring the sauce over the readily served meal.

"Carter! I thought you said I had time to read" he grinned as he sat down on the stool.

"I lied" she smiled and put the empty sauce pan in the sink. Jack observed the meal and frowned

"That's lobster, but what are these?" he asked pocking the meal

"Bugs" she grinned and heard him think of cockroaches. She laughed "bugs is just the nickname sir, they're a type of crustacean. They taste similar to mud crabs, just a little sweeter" she explained as she ate one of the bug tails.

"Sounds like an acquired taste" Jack gulped before trying one cautiously "not bad, Carter" he grinned and continued munching away at the meal.


	10. Chapter 10

"I have an idea" Jack stated as Carter took his plate from him and tidied up a bit.

"What would that be sir?" Carter asked turning towards him cautiously. Jack grinned and threw back his drink

"Let's go swimming"

"Sir, it's freezing out here" Carter whined as jack jumped into the heated water of the spa

"it's winter Carter" Jack criticized "get in, the sooner you get in the warm water, the sooner you wont feel cold" Jack tried as he moved into a corner

"Turn around" Carter instructed and Jack covered his eyes as she dropped the towel. Jack peaked as she was slipping into the warm water.

"I know your peeking sir" she laughed "and I heard what you were thinking"

"What" Jack shrugged taking his hands away from his eyes "I'm only human Carter. Besides, it's just a bathing suit" Jack smiled before sipping his drink 'Damn fine Bathing suit' he thought and Carter splashed water at him

"I heard that!" Carter warned

"Argh Carter, now there's pool water in my drink!" Jack bickered "give me yours" he ordered as he reached for her glass. She pulled it away from him and he glared at her

"Come on Carter, give it over"

"No! Its mine sir" she grinned

"Don't make me come over there" Jack warned and a thought came to his mind that made Carter's eyes go wide

"You wouldn't" she gulped

"Oh don't think I won't" he grinned. Carter went to climb out of the spa when Jack jumped over and wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in. she struggled to get away as he began tickling her

"Stop" she giggled. And Jack grinned menacingly as she tickled with more fury "ok ok" she called and Jack eased his tickling "here she surrendered, handing him the glass which now was filled with pool water. Jack ignored the glass, staring down at the woman in his arms. Carter looked into his eyes searchingly.

"What do you mean you can't believe how easy it was?" she asked trying to understand his thoughts

"To get you here" he replied

"You pulled me in sir" she said cautiously

"I meant, to salt lake city" he smiled

"Well, I wouldn't exactly…" she was cut of by his finger on her lips hushing her. He removed his finger and replaced it with his lips as he kissed her. Just a gentle kiss but the impact it had felt like much more.

"Um… sir" Carter began breathing heavily "what was that?" she asked

"I don't know" he muttered staring into her eyes "I've had too much to drink" he replied blankly and in deep thought

"Yeah sir, maybe we should maintain a safe distance, we will be spending the whole weekend together and we don't exactly want to violate regulations" she explained as she sat upright and moved away from him. Jacks hand lingered with her fingers, holding her there.

"Do we?" he asked with a slight cheek in his tone but still incorrigibly serious.

"Colonel, don't say things that we both know you don't really mean, or at least will take back as soon as you're sober"

"I'm not drunk Carter!" he snapped " and I wont take it back, you know I mean it" Jack stated as he moved closer to her " you know what I'm thinking Carter. Tell me, am I lying?"

"It's not that simple" she cried taking her hand away from him

"Why not!" he yelled and Carter glared at him

"What do you want me to do!" she asked with great intensity

"Nothing Carter" Jack said taking her hand in his again "do nothing, stop fighting, take it easy" Jack explained and Sam grimaced at the phrase

"Don't say take it easy" Sam warned

"I'm just saying" Jack began

"What! What are you saying?"

"I'm just saying, how I feel" he explained sighing

"I know how you feel" she sighed

"I know" he muttered dropping his head momentarily before raising it again to look into her eyes "it's hard pretending we don't have these feelings Carter, it's driving me up the wall! I'm sick of it Carter. I quit." He stated and Carter stared at him in disbelief

"What are you saying sir?" Carter asked with an obviously panicked tone

"I'm getting out Carter" he sighed "with you or, god help me, with-out you"

"Sir are you… resigning?" Carter asked wide eyed

"Damn right I am" Jack burst out "well retiring, again"

"For me?" she asked after a moments thought

"Wouldn't be the first time" he shrugged swallowing back emotions. She stared amazed, not even wondering what he meant by that. Her thoughts were only of the fact that he was leaving the SGC, for her. Her thoughts raced, faster than usual. She paused on a thought then sighed

"Sir, you can't retire" she began, Jack pushed a hair out of her eyes

"We both know how we feel about each other. I cant work with you, knowing that we don't act on those feelings because I work with you" Jack explained

"This candle light is bright" Sam muttered "I can see every feature of your face" she explained

"Carter don't change the subject, that's something I would do. There aren't even candles out here" Jack accused

"There aren't?" she asked puzzled and started going pale

"No, it's just about pitch black right here" Jack told her and noticed she was shaking

"But I can..." she muttered breathing heavily "my head hurts…" she said half delirious "I feel light headed, my visions blurring" she said holding herself up with his arms.

"You okay?" he asked holding her up. Her legs buckled beneath her and she collapsed into Jacks arms.

"Carter?" he asked shaking her. She didn't respond. Jack put one arm around her and the other under her legs, cradling her as he carried her out of the spa and inside. He carefully placed her on her bed and frantically dialled a number

"Cassie no is no, stop calling me!" Janet yelled through the line

"Fraiser, it's me" Jack blurted out

"Colonel? What's wrong?" Janet asked picking up on his panicked tone

"Carter passed out" he exhaled

"Is she alright? What happened?" Janet asked calmly

"She's breathing but she's not responsive. I think it might be the infection" Jack explained

"You think?" Janet asked confused

"Well we had been drinking, I'm not sure how much she drank" Jack admitted

"What makes you think it might be the infection?" Janet asked

"She could see in the dark, just before she blacked out" Jack told her

"Colonel, you need to elevate her feet" Janet began

"I've done that" he replied

"And loosen any tight or restricting clothing. Does she have a high temperature?" Janet asked and Jack placed the phone down as he grabbed a thermometer out of the first aid kit. He took the phone into Sam's room as he placed the thermometer under her tongue

"How restricting?" he asked as he waited for the little electronic thermometer to beep, signalling it was done.

"Why? What's she wearing?" Janet asked over the distant sound of the thermometer beeping. Jack checked the thermometer.

"Um… a bathing suit" he muttered as he read the thermometer "her temperature's 107.4" Jack said holding his breath

"Ok Colonel, you need to get her temperature down. Put her somewhere cool, use ice-packs, loosen the bathing suit if you can and cover her with a wet sheet" Janet instructed. Jack switched off the heater and opened the window, letting in the cold winter chill. He ran into the kitchen and grabbed some ice-packs out of the fridge. He carefully applied the packs to area's of large blood vessels and then took a sheet to the bathroom and ran it under cold water. He returned and unclipped the bather top to loosen it and then covered her with the wet sheet.

"Okay, how long do I keep her like this?" Jack asked

"Until her temperature is down. If she wakes up, give her water when she's fully conscious" Janet replied "Colonel, I want you to call a Dr Nina Smith I know in Salt Lake City, she has security clearance." Janet instructed and then resighted the number to him. She then left to go inform Hammond. Jack looked at his phone and carefully keyed in the number. His hands were trembling and as soon as he had dialled, he looked over at Sam nervously. The ringing seemed to echo as he waited. The doctor didn't answer and Jack slammed the phone down in a rage. He calmed himself and was about to redial when he heard a knock at the door. He raced over and opened the door. He was stunned by the sight of the red head in heels who had been watching him. She smiled and let out a wheezy cough before introducing herself.

"Hello Colonel O'Neill. I'm Dr Smith but you can call me Nina to save time" she smiled offering her hand.


	11. Chapter 11

4 hours later Jack found himself sitting by Carter's side in the infirmary in Cheyenne Mountain. Hammond had arranged for them to return to Colorado Springs via helicopter. Dr Smith and Janet had finally agreed on Sam's condition being a result of going into shock because of a high fever. Sam wasn't conscious yet and Jack had fallen asleep in the chair beside her. To anyone else, he would have only seemed genuinely concerned and only concerned but Jack had felt terrified.

"Colonel O'Neill" Dr Smith said shaking him out of his sleep

"Hmm" he muttered as he woke

"Do you want to go to your quarters?" she asked

"No, I'm fine thank you" he disregarded her and turned back towards Carter

"Colonel you've been by her side since she lost consciousness, it's almost five" Janet warned

"Alright, I'll go get coffee" he surrendered and stood up from his chair. Janet shook her head at him but didn't fight.

"Stubborn it's he" Dr Smith remarked turning to Janet

"You have no idea" Janet smiled "what about you, shouldn't you be resting given your condition" Janet hinted

"I can't sleep with these lungs" Dr Smith joked "besides, sleep wouldn't help"

"Chemotherapy not an option I take it" Janet asked

"Nope" Dr Smith sighed

"How long?"

"I kick the bucket in 5 months" she grinned forcefully

"Nina, I'm sorry" Janet offered

"Don't be, I chose to smoke my lungs away knowing the risks, it's my fault and I want no sympathy" she warned

"Still as head strong I see" Janet laughed

"Yes, still head strong and stupid" she grinned

"Stupid? You're still smoking aren't you?"

"Guilty" she coughed "look as long as I'm in town, you want to get together and run amuck just like old times?" she asked diverting the conversation away from her cancer.

"Sure, I'd love for you to meet my Daughter, she's just like you" Janet smiled

"Ah a trouble maker, wait you have a daughter! When did that happen?" Nina asked wide eyed

"Adoptive daughter, she's in her terrible teens" Janet laughed

"Adoptive? Does that mean there's a guy in your life? Because last I heard, you and your husband split up"

"No guy" Janet admitted

"Good then we can go clubbing" she smiled and Janet laughed

"What would we have done if there was a guy?" she asked

"Gone clubbing" Nina grinned

"You never change" Janet laughed

Daniel walked into the commissary and laughed at the sight of Jack asleep in front of a mug of coffee. He nudged Jack awake.

"Didn't make it?" he laughed

"What?"

"To the coffee, didn't make it in time?" he asked lifting Jack's mug

"Um no, it put me to sleep" Jack muttered sitting upright

"That's when you turn to espresso" Daniel grinned lifting his espresso. Jack took the espresso out of Daniels hand and drank it

"Hey" Daniel glared at him

"I'm tired" he shrugged

"Then don't come in so early. Since when do you come in this early anyway?" Daniel shook his head at him

"I don't, why are you here?" Jack asked finishing off Daniels espresso

"I couldn't sleep, wait aren't you supposed to be in Salt Lake City?"

"I was, Carter wasn't feeling to good" Jack replied

"You were supposed to go or you were there?" Daniel asked critically

"I was there but Hammond sent a helicopter for us" Jack told him

"Because Sam wasn't feeling well? Is she alright?" Daniel asked worried

"I don't know she hasn't come to yet…" he was cut off by his beeper going off. He picked it up and smiled "I stand corrected. She's awake, wanna come with?" Jack asked standing up.

"Sure" Daniel said following him out of the commissary "Jack?"

"Yeah"

"Have you been drinking?" he asked and Jack stopped dead in his tracks

"A little last night, why do I look drunk?" he asked slightly worried

"No, you just smell like whisky" he replied and Jack shrugged as they headed to the infirmary.

"How are you feeling?" Janet asked as she shone her pen light over Sam's pupils, noticing her eyes were red again

"Just like I did on Wednesday" Sam replied blinking away the bright light. She grimaced at the fact that her legs were numb once again.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Nina asked and an image of her being in Jacks arms as he kissed her came to mind. Sam found herself smiling

"What?" Janet asked curiously. Sam shook herself from her thoughts

"Um cooking, I remember cooking" she lied and Janet frowned at her. Jack and Daniel came in then and Sam smiled, happy to see them. Janet finished up what she was doing and she and Nina decidedly dragged Daniel out of the room to leave Jack and Sam alone.

"Whoa, why can't I see her?" Daniel asked confused as to why they had dragged him out

"Because…" cough "...You haven't been up all night, he has" Nina said coughing

"Are you okay?" Daniel asked alarmed by her coughing.

"Fine" she wheezed

"You don't sound fine" Daniel stated

"Daniel, don't worry" Janet shot him a warning glance

"Okay, what's wrong with Sam?" he asked looking back towards the infirmary

"The infection she contracted is elevating her body temperature and she suffered heat stroke. I've been doing my best to lower her temperature and anti-biotic seems to be keeping the infection at bay but I don't know how long her immune system will cope under the pressure or how long until the infection up it's own immunity against the anti-biotic" Janet explained and Daniel absorbed the information like it was a blow to the head

"How is this going to turn out?" Daniel asked breathing deeply

"Right now it's a 50/50 situation depending on how the infection reacts to the medication. On the upside she could recover really well and be out of bed in a few days time or on the down side, the infection builds up immunity and the fever escalates. Daniel, this could get really bad" Janet warned

"How bad?"

"_Really_ bad" Nina added

"Are you saying she could die?" Daniel asked Janet

"Dying, everybody's dying. There's so much death around. I hate hospitals or in this case infirmary's" Nina scowled and Janet glared at her

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Daniel asked irritated

"Dr Nina Smith" she said putting out her hand.

"Dr Daniel Jackson" he said shaking it "You're a Doctor who hate's hospitals?" Daniel criticised

"Are you a doctor, Dr Jackson?" Nina asked

"Good point, but was I wrong in assuming that you're a doctor?"

"No, you're not" she admitted "Janet, I'm just going to pop up to the surface for a few minutes Okay"

"Oh no you're not" Janet warned "you are going to slap on a nicotine patch and go to bed" she ordered and Nina couldn't help but giggle

"You always were the boss" Nina rolled her eyes at her and then walked away

"Bed" Janet called after her

"Surface" Nina called back and Janet raced over to her

"Bed or you don't get to meet my daughter" Janet warned

"Fine" Nina caved. Janet smiled satisfied and then returned to Daniel

"Sorry about that" Janet smiled as she approached him

"Sam?" Daniel asked bringing her back to the problem at hand

"Yes" Janet frowned as her mood dropped

"So it's true, death is a possibility?" Daniel asked concerned

"Admittedly, it's an option but that's only because her fever is so unusual and I can't even begin to understand what's happening to her" she sighed "her bodies acting as if it's fighting off an infection but the blood test I ran showed nothing to even indicate she has an infection, it's not a virus either. Based on these test results, she should be perfectly healthy"

"God I hope she pulls through" Daniel sighed

"She will, Daniel" Janet comforted him "she always does"

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AN: sorry about any of the medical information i may have gotton wrong. i'm not a doctor and dont claim to be. i also am used to celsius so the whole temperature problem would probably be incorrect. thanks for pointing that out Vid Z.

all reviews are welcomed with a big smile.

plz R+R


	12. Chapter 12

Jack sat down in the chair he had been sitting in all night, seemingly unaware of Daniel, Janet and Nina's absence. Sam stared confused as Daniel was dragged out.

"So how're you feeling?" Jack asked as he played with the edges of the brown paper bag he was holding.

"Never better" she spoke with intense sarcasm in her tone

"One too many drinks huh?" Jack joked and Sam let a small smile creep into place.

"Have you been up all night sir?" she asked as she recognized the mild sent of the Irish whisky. Jack thought about denying his lack of rest but caught a disapproving glance from Sam that reminded him to watch what he thought.

"I dosed off a couple of times" he smiled and then there was a familiar silence between them which Jack broke by holding up the bag

"I have a present for you" Jack said and Sam grinned as she heard his thoughts of the book. Jack pulled out the comic book 'blankets' and flipped it open to the page he'd bookmarked. Sam's legs were numb but she managed to turn on her side and rest her head on her hand as she comfortably lay watching him and listening to him read. She smiled at every minute reaction and he smiled knowing she was happy.

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Jack frowned at the book after reading the last page. He was obviously unhappy with the ending.

"That's it!" he scowled "no big happy, romantic ending. They just slept together then broke up" he grumbled "they don't even get back together, they just move on and forget each other" Jack was obviously very annoyed with the ending

"It was the authors actual experience sir" Sam explained "he couldn't fictionalize it by adding a happy ending where there was none" she told him but Jack just sighed thinking that it was depressing.

"Do you think there will be a happy ending for us?" Jack asked

"Sir?" Sam asked confused

"I stand by what I said last night, I'm going back into retirement" he stated

"Sir, leaving the SGC? You love your work too much, I can't let you…"

"It hurts too much Carter!" Jack snapped "I've made my decision" he told her in a calmer tone. Sam went silent and Jack watched her curiously. He gently placed his hand on hers and she almost jumped

"I don't expect you to leave the SGC Sam; I just wanted you to know first" he explained. Sam smiled and Jack could see tears forming in her _blue_ eyes at the use of her name.

"What's wrong?" he asked wiping a tear off her cheek and Sam let out a small laugh

"I just never expected you to take the first step" she smiled

"Oh don't worry, you took the first step. You took it the day you walked in that briefing and kicked my ass with words" he joked about the first time they met and Sam laughed wiping her eyes.

"I'm gonna miss this place" Jack yawned and Sam squeezed his hand

"You should get some sleep" she suggested "I'll be fine"

"You sure?" he asked standing up from his chair and she nodded. Jack slid his arms around her, hugging her.

"You know this is still technically against regulations" Sam reminded him cheekily

"Wont be for long" he grinned "Night Sam" he muttered kissing her forehead.

"Jack" she said stopping him from leaving. "I love you"

Jack smiled and kissed her intimately. She then lay down and closed her eyes to sleep. Jack tucked her in, still smiling. "I love you Sam" he said as he left the room.

Walking down the corridor, Jack bumped into Janet.

"Whoa, hello Colonel. How is she?" Janet asked as she tapped a file in her hands.

"She's sleeping" he nodded, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Hmm, I was just coming to check up on her" Janet added

"Do we know what's wrong with her yet?" Jack asked cautiously and Janet sighed

"Every test I've run has come up with nothing. She should be perfectly healthy, yet her body is fighting off some form of infection. The fever is just the body's way of helping fight illnesses. These other symptoms however, I can't explain." She explained

"So that's a no" Jack asked leaning against the wall behind him

"Yeah" she sighed

"Well on another topic, why the hell did you have Dr Smith watching us?" Jack asked impatiently.

"Nina's a good friend of mine Colonel, we go way back. I was worried about Sam and I simply asked her to keep an eye on you two while you were in Salt Lake City. Sam had made a full recovery but I just wanted to be careful and from the looks of how things turned out, I'd say I made the right decision" Janet explained

"You could have told me! I thought she was the enemy for crying out loud" Jack raised his voice

"Colonel, calm down" Janet ordered, snapping Jack out of his anger.

"I'm sorry. I'm just tired, pretty hectic night" he smiled

"Get some rest Colonel, I'll call you if…" Janet was cut off by the gut wrenching sound of Sam flat-lining; followed by the sound of a nurse calling her in.

Something was very wrong with Sam.

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AN: sorry this chapter is so much shorter than the last chapters. i'll have more up soon, i promise.


	13. Chapter 13

As Jack left the room, Carter slept. Her eyes flew open at a sudden change of lighting. A white glowing light was beside her. She was startled and shot upright. The light faded and left a figure in its place. A figure she recognized.

"Orlin?" she asked stunned

"It's good to see you Samantha" he nodded

"What are you doing her? How are you here? Why are you here Orlin?" she asked

"To help you" he stated

"Help me?"

"Your journey ends here Samantha, I am here to help you through it" he explained

"Ends? I'm ascending? Shouldn't Oma be here?" she asked searching the room

"I'm sorry Samantha, ascension is only possible once you release your burden" Orlin stated in a solemn tone.

"Jack" she muttered realizing "he is my burden isn't he?"

"Sorry" he nodded

"Well then what's going on here?" she asked and suddenly found herself standing next to him. She turned towards the bed and saw herself lying there as Janet was trying to revive her.

"I'm dying" she whispered in shock and Orlin nodded placing a hand on her shoulder. She watched as Jack stared helplessly.

"You did this! It was you who stung me and that's why there was no mark" she accused

"No Samantha. Many things ascend. Creatures too ascend and sometimes they attempt to interact with those who have not ascended. You weren't ready and this is the result of a part of the creature remaining in you" Orlin explained

"Like a bee sting" she muttered "bees leave their stingers in the skin and the venom keeps flowing into the system. We couldn't remove it because we didn't know it was there and we had no way of finding it" she explained and Orlin nodded again. Sam watched as Janet called Sam's time of death and Jack's expression changed from panic to dread as he stared at her in disbelief.

"Orlin, you have to do something!" Sam snapped at him

"I'm sorry Samantha, there are rules…"

"Break them!" she yelled

"It's too late" he explained looking at her compassionately

"That's it! I just die! You're just going to let me die!"

"I can't help you Sam" he sighed

"Well what's going to happen?" she asked and Orlin bowed his head

"I am sorry Samantha" he said to the floor, when he looked up again she was gone. Samantha had died, despite her efforts to live.

"You will always be remembered" Orlin stated watching Jack.

Colonel, are you alright?" Janet asked standing beside him. He didn't turn to look at her. He kept his eyes on Sam. Janet wasn't sure he had heard her, she touched his arm and he turned to look at her. He opened his mouth to talk but decided against it and closed his mouth again. He pushed past Janet and left the room.

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Jack sat in Carter's lab, reading over boring reports and paperwork. He was reading her writing, picturing her typing away at her computer for hours at a time. He read her notes, imagining her grace as she scribbled down the words. He didn't absorb any of the information he read. He just read it aimlessly, wishing she were here.

"Jack" Daniel's voice disturbed him. Jack looked up briefly and then looked back at the papers. Daniel eased his way into the room and sat in a chair near him. "How are you coping?" he asked breaking the silence. Jack raised his eyes to Daniels and stared through him.

"What do you want Daniel?" Jack asked

"I'm worried about you" he admitted

"Don't be" Jack grumbled

"Jack, this is hard on everyone" Daniel tried "but it's no secret that Sam meant more to you. You're allowed to be upset"

"Daniel" Jack began "you're not helping" he sighed putting down the papers.

"I didn't think you'd be reasonable" Daniel muttered and Jack glared at him "well Hammond wanted me to tell you that Jacob is on his way. He doesn't know yet" Daniel explained "I'll tell him if you want me too" Daniel offered

"Don't bother Daniel" jack said getting up "I'll tell him" he said heading for the gate room.

Jacob walked through the gate smiling and eager to see his daughter. He hadn't been to Earth in months and was looking forward to a little father-daughter time. Jack waited for him at the base of the ramp. To Jacob's surprise, Daniel, Teal'c and Hammond stood next to him. The look on their faces that greeted Jacob was of agony at best. Pure dread was all Jacob saw on their faces. He stopped half way down the ramp, his heart jumped in his chest and he held his breath.

"Where is she?" was all he asked and Jacks solemn expression told him everything he needed to know

"How long ago?" he asked walking down the remainder of the ramp

"This morning" Hammond admitted "0613 hours" he explained

"Major Carter's death is unfortunate" Selmak cut in "it is a great loss for Jacob" he added

"If only we could all hide behind the snake" Jack scowled

"Jack, don't be an ass" Daniel growled at Jack. Jack ignored him and fled out of the gate room and back to his sanctuary in Carter's lab. He went back to his planning the impossible. He was determined to find a way to bring her back. Nothing presented itself but an idea came to mind. A risky idea that certainly wasn't legal.

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AN: sorry it's such a sad way for it to turn out. sorry this chapter is short. i will post more soon. i promise.

i dont like hurting Sam. dont hurt me. (looks around for the angry mob)

R+R


	14. Chapter 14

AN: the funeral scene wasn't originally in the story but Vid z suggested I add a description so I did. Thanks.

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Jack stood in his dress blues and looked solemnly down at the grave in front of him that was being filled with earth. The headstone read: Major Samantha Carter. Modern genius, dedicated soldier and much loved daughter, sister and aunt.

His brown eyes were lifeless as he watched the earth cover the woman he loves's casket.

His whole demeanor screamed agony but no-one spoke to him. Nobody had the courage to reach out to the despairing soldier. Everyone wisely avoided him, everyone accept one of course.

"Jack" the worried friend spoke as he stood next to him.

"What Daniel?" Jack asked never lifting his gaze from the grave

"Jack, the funeral was over an hour ago" Daniel hinted "everyone's gone to the wake"

"You're here" Jack muttered as if this excused his unusual behaviour

"I'm still here out of concern for you Jack, are you coming to the wake?" he asked as he studied Jack's emotionless appearance.

"No" Jack replied breathing deeply. Daniel looked down at the grave and sighed

"She shouldn't have been the first" he exhaled "you know, I'm half expecting to wake up and find out that this has all been one horrible nightmare" Daniel added "every time we find ourselves in these situations, we seem to find an almost impossible way to set things right" Daniel sighed and Jack exhaled as his eyes started to well up. He blinked back the tears and adjusted his breathing to calm himself. They stood there in silence for a few minutes before Daniel looked over his shoulder to where Janet, Teal'c and Nina stood waiting.

"You going to be ok?" he asked and Jack nodded "alright, I'll see you at work" he said walking away. Jack waited until they were completely out of sight before he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small jewelry box. He carefully opened the box and smiled a heartbreaking smile at the engagement ring.

"Good bye Sam" he muttered as he tossed the jewelry box into the dirt, ring and all. One of the two men filling the grave looked up at him curiously.

"Bury it" Jack told the man and then walked off.

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"What's this?" Hammond asked eyeing the form Jack had placed in front of him. Jack sighed and sat down in the chair opposite Hammond.

"I've got to catch it George, I've got to kill the bastard that did this to her" Jack stated as Hammond pushed back the paper work for Jack to go off world.

"Colonel, I understand you want to seek revenge over your loss but I'm not about to let you go hunt down an Alien that we don't know anything about.We don't even know if it's hostile"

"George, I'm asking you as a friend. I need this" Jack pleaded. Hammond sighed and took the paperwork.

"Teal'c and Daniel will go with you" he warned and Jack nodded

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"I don't buy for a second that you wanted to come back just for revenge" Daniel stated as they came through the stargate.

"Yeah, I didn't think you would" Jack said as he checked his watch and placed his bag next to the planets DHD.

"What are you planning Jack?" Daniel asked walking towards him. Jack shot him a warning glance and then pulled out the comic book.

"Fine, you don't want to tell me, I won't push" Daniel said as he picked up the book. Jack looked at his watch again. It was counting down.

"You're sending this through aren't you?" Daniel asked as he read the note Jack had left at the front of the book.

"See that sun" Jack said pointing up at the sky "there will be a flare in 4 minutes and 16 seconds" he explained and Daniel shook his head at Jack

"You've planned everything haven't you? You can't just change what happened. She's dead Jack and there's nothing we can do about that"

"Yes there is, we did it before and now I'm doing it again. I'm going to send the book, we will read the note and then we will never cross that river. She won't die." Jack explained

"Jack even if it did work, do you think it would be just? She can't live forever and no matter what you do, you can't change that. You have to accept that one day she will die, there isn't always a happy ending" at his last remark, Jack was taken back to Sam and his last conversation. Something breached boiling point in Jack and without thinking Jack lost his temper and swung his fist at Daniel. When Daniel hit the ground, Teal'c aimed his Zat at Jack.

"Teal'c put that away" Jack rolled his eyes. Jacks watch began beeping and he started dialing the gate.

"You are behaving irrationally O'Neill" Teal'c stated

"Yeah well, you would be too under the same circumstances" he said before pausing "well maybe not you but you get what I mean" Jack said as he finished dialing the gate. The gate activated as the unstable wormhole became stable.

"Jack, don't do this" Daniel called as Jack walked up to the gate. Jack turned to Daniel and looked almost through him as if he was looking inside himself.

"I need her back. She wasn't supposed to die" with that, Jack dropped the book into the wormhole. If this worked, he didn't know.

He only hoped.


	15. Chapter 15

An: this is set at the beginning (Jack sent the book back in time) and so this is the alternate version of what happened. Sort of.

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"Sir, the gates been activated"

"I see that, Carter" Jack said as they aimed their weapons at the stargate. The wormhole stabilized and a moment later, a book fell through. The wormhole disconnected and Daniel walked up and picked up the book.

"Blankets, an Illustrated novel by Craig Thompson" Daniel read "Jack, this is from Earth" Daniel explained

"Who sent it?" Jack asked walking over

"You" he said wide-eyed as he saw the note "you sent it to Sam"

"What! Let me see that" Carter ordered taking it out of their hands and startling them both

"Okay, I was looking at it first but I guess that doesn't matter" Daniel groaned

"Sam, don't cross the river, Jack" she read

"Well that was a good read" Daniel joked and Jack glared at him "since when do you call her Sam?" Daniel grinned

"Sir, I think we should return to the base and report this to Hammond, find out what he would have us do about this?" Carter recommended

"Dial it up" he nodded.

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Carter sat in her lab writing up the mission report on her laptop. Hammond had ordered the mission be postponed and now they had virtually nothing to. As she finished the report, she sighed and pushed away from her computer. She was about to go find Janet when she heard footsteps running towards the lab. She smiled knowing it could only be O'Neill.

"Hey Carter" he said skidding into the room

"Sir" she acknowledged

"Since we well have a bit of free time on our hands, I was wondering if you wanted to go fishing with me this weekend?" he asked trying to act casual. Carter smiled but shook her head.

"I think I'll just hang around here and work on some projects, sir" she explained

"Motorbikes Carter?" he asked looking disappointed

"Yeah" she blushed and Jack sighed

"Oh well, your loss. Hey do you think I might be able to con Teal'c into coming?" he asked with a bit of enthusiasm and Carter laughed

"You can try sir" she smiled

"Have fun with your bikes Carter" he waved and then rushed out. Carter giggled and then turned back to the computer to begin spell-check, which didn't take long. As she closed the file, she turned and was greeted by a glowing light.

"Orlin!" she gasped at the figure "what are you doing here?"

"I must show you something" he said reaching up to her temple. Carter pulled away

"What?" she asked cautiously

"What should have been" he explained and then as he touched her temple, her mind was flooded with images. What was shown to her was everything that had happened yet hadn't happened because of Jack. It was shown to her in the form of a story that began with: Sam sat in the corner of her quarters staring blankly at the opposite corner. Her hands were shaking and she glanced at the thin shivering hands. She hadn't eaten in over a week but somehow she didn't feel hungry. She knew she had to eat but her stomach rejected everything she swallowed. Her skin was pale and she looked like she hadn't left the dark in months.

And ended with: Jack dropped the book into the wormhole. If this worked, he didn't know. He only hoped.

Carter didn't know what to say, when Orlin finished showing her. She was stunned by the story, she knew it was true but was still stunned by it.

"Why did you show me that?" she managed to ask

"Because that was how it was supposed to happen, he changed that and you have a right to know" Orlin explained

"I was supposed to die?" she asked slightly hurt and Orlin nodded sadly.

"The others have decided that we will not intervene any more" Orlin stated before leaving. Carter stood up and picked up the phone and called to warn everyone not to shoot the glowing orb that was heading towards the gate. She then sat down trying to gather her thoughts and make sense of her now mixed emotions. After a moments thought she smiled and stood up. She ran out of her lab in search of her favorite Colonel.

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"Colonel O'Neill!" Carter called

"Ah Carter, having second thoughts about my offer?" he asked half expecting to be beamed aboard Thor's ship.

"Yes actually" she shocked him "I wouldn't mind spending a weekend on a boathouse in Salt Lake City" she grinned. Jack stared dumbfounded.

"How could you possibly know that? I haven't told anyone!"

Carter smiled and tapped her nose three times

"A little birdie told me" she laughed

"This little birdie wouldn't happen to be the 'glowing orb' that was heading towards the gate room would it?" Jack asked raising his eyebrows at her

"It might be sir" she shrugged

"What else did this birdie tell you anything else?" Jack asked cautiously

"Um, he told me that you're going back into retirement" Sam shrugged as if this was a very normal thing to say

"Okay, I'm beginning to dislike this birdie, he knows all my secrets" Jack frowned

"Lets just say, this birdie told me the whole story behind the mysterious book that fell through the gate" Sam told him as Jacks eyes widened

"And what did you think of this story?" Jack asked uncertain. Sam smiled, almost blushing and took the few extra steps over to his side. She slid her arms around him and brought her face close to his. She kissed him tenderly, within that moment they became utterly entranced by the kiss and the security camera's watching them, completely slipped their minds. They eventually stopped the kiss and a cheeky grin crossed Jacks face

"I like this Birdie" he said gazing at her blushing features.

"Hmm" she muttered as she entwined her fingers with his and walked with him towards the elevator

"So tell me more about what this birdie said to you. Does anything happen in Salt Lake City?" he asked

"That's up to us Jack" she grinned "but remind me to get Janet to call Dr Nina Smith"

"Who's that?" Jack asked confused

"Just an old friend of Janet's. I think dad might like to meet her" she smiled to herself and Jack just nodded in agreement as they boarded the elevator. "Oh and before I forget" she said smiling "I love the ring you chose"

"You know about the ring!" he said shocked

"Well if you hadn't thrown it into my grave, I probably wouldn't…"

"Your GRAVE!" he exclaimed and Sam flinched

"It doesn't matter; I'm here with you know and that's all that matters" she squeezed his hand

"Hmm" he sighed

"Jack" she broke the short silence

"Yeah" he asked

"I don't know why I'm doing this but I accept" she smiled

"Accept what? Oh accept! You do?" he asked wide-eyed and she nodded. The doors opened and much to Sam's amusement, Teal'c, Janet and Daniel stood in front of the open doors. Jack was so overjoyed with her answer, he didn't notice them. He grabbed Sam's face in his hands and he kissed her the same way he had when he'd been stuck in a time loop.

"Um hum" Janet coughed while Daniel gaped in amazement and Teal'c of coarse raised an eyebrow. Jack became painfully aware of their presence and stopped kissing Sam.

"Care to explain Jack?" Daniel snickered. Jack contemplated a smart ass remark but decided against it and hugged Daniel instead and then Janet and then Teal'c. Lastly he hugged Sam again and kissed her briefly before regaining his composure.

"Jack, have you gone nuts?" Daniel asked and Jack laughed

"She said yes" he gleamed

"To what question did she answer yes to O'Neill?" Teal'c asked confused

"_The _question" Janet grinned and Carter nodded blushing

"You proposed in an elevator!" Daniel exclaimed

"Oh Damn it. Wait here Sam" Jack told her as he pushed through the three bystanders and skipped off to his quarters and then luckily bumped into Hammond on his way. Hammond was about to ask Jack about the extraordinary footage he had been shown from the security surveillance tapes, when Jack grabbed him by the arm and dragged him to the elevator. The four SGC members stood outside the elevator waiting for him and were surprised to see Jack had gone to fetch Hammond.

"Colonel O'Neill!" Hammond snapped "please explain yourself"

Jack smiled and handed Hammond the retirement forms "George, I'm retiring!" he chimed "again". Jack then walked up to Sam and knelt down in front of her and pulled the jewelry box out of his pocket. He opened it and Sam blushed in embarrassment

"Sam?" he asked open handedly. She smiled and helped him off his feet as she kissed him

"Yes Jack" she said smiling

"Well this is a surprise Colonel" Hammond exclaimed

"Well you know me General, Cant do anything with out making a scene" he grinned

FIN

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AN: he he he. I'm not sure but I think I over did the final scene. Oh well, I had fun writing it. I had a different ending that I thought was too shippy and so I decided to change it but lol it seems this is the far shippier of shipperies… is that right?


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